The governor backed off his controversial plan to extend deadlines for oil and gas operators to comply with a new law on wells.
An active oil derrick near homes in the city of Signal Hill in Los Angeles County on Oct. 19, 2022.Right now, you can help protect LAist's mission to provide local reporting to all in our community. Donate for the first time or increase your monthly donation to have a positive impact on your ability to access independent and trusted journalism.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news.— by more than four years in one case — for oil companies to comply with a new law fizzled and died late this week. But environmental groups didn’t have a chance to cheer a rare victory over California’s fossil fuel interests: When the governor’s administration withdrew the proposal, it alsoto implement the 2022 law — a law that prohibits new oil operations within 3,200 feet of homes and schools and calls for a robust monitoring system to track leaks and air and water quality. State agencies maintained that the deadlines for implementing many of the law’s requirements were never practical and did not allow sufficient time to hire staff to oversee a new state program, or to understand and put in place the complex monitoring and testing regimes to ensure public health. While some of the law’s elements are already in place — no new oil or gas wells are now permitted within the buffer zone, for example — leak detection protocols and other critical monitoring elements have yet to be determined.Environmental groups say there’s an inherent contradiction to the governor’s actions. Officials needed more time to prepare and put in place a suite of sophisticated regulations that were new to them. But, by holding back the funding that would have allowed regulators to hire staff and build expertise, it makes it more difficult for agencies to carry out the law, ensuring more delays., has expressed frustration at the delay and the toll it will take on communities affected by California oil wells, noting that if state agencies are understaffed, there’s been “plenty of time to figure this out.” At the end of this week, she struck a cautiously optimistic tone. “As negotiations continue, I remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement that won’t delay the critical protections our communities have fought so hard to achieve,” she said in a statement. “This is a pivotal opportunity to protect our progress — there’s no time to move backward.”With land moving 1 foot each week, Rancho Palos Verdes takes big step to try to slow dangerous landslideThis nearly extinct fish lives in a small, deep hole in Death Valley — and it's making a comebackSandhill cranes are returning to the Lake Tahoe basin after a century long hiatus in what many say is a conservation success story.Jackie, Big Bear’s Famous Bald Eagle, Has Given Up On Her Failed Nest But Her Partner Isn’t Ready To Move OnWhy we villainize coyotes, and more things you need to know about themWhy homelessness has more than doubled in LA County’s once-affordable northern desert
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